What is the ruling on the prizes in Qur'an competitions held during Ramadan, where some people answer the question and duplicate the answer sheets with the names of their relatives, and if they win, they give them a share of it, while others take other people's answers and take the prize themselves, and some answer the questions and sell them to people, some of whom may be non-Muslims?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Some people answer the questions in Qur'an competitions that are broadcast on the radio or in some other competitions on various radio stations that broadcast during the blessed month of Ramadan. After answering them, they repeat the answers or write them down several times and write on them the names of their relatives and perhaps their friends. If they win, they give them something in exchange for using their names, and this is by agreement with them. This is one category of people. There is another category that searches for the answers, which are the efforts of others, then transfers and sends them. If they win, they take the prize, which is designated for the one who benefited from the information in those questions and spent his effort and time on them. There is a third category, which may be more dangerous, and this happens in some Islamic countries, where a person answers the questions, then photographs them repeatedly and sells those photographs in the streets and markets, like lottery tickets. The buyer sends them after copying them by hand, and the win and the prize are his. Some of them may be non-Muslims. What is the Islamic ruling on the prizes obtained in this manner? Are they lawful or forbidden?
The Shaykh : Before answering these three questions or explaining the rulings of these three categories, I say: It is praiseworthy for the program to make these prizes for the excelling students, because of the assistance it provides in knowledge and understanding, especially if it relates to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Islamic legal rulings. However, I fear for those who enter these competitions that their purpose may be the material itself or the material prize, and thereby they lose their reward if it concerns Islamic legal matters. In fact, they sin by doing so, for their seeking of Islamic legal knowledge for this purpose is not a correct seeking. It was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): This is a great danger. It is not permissible for a person to enter a religious competition in order to obtain this material prize, because he has made the best and most complete thing a means to what is lower. Indeed, knowing the rulings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and knowing the meanings of His speech and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), is more noble and higher than to be made a means for a person to obtain a worldly display.
And after this, what the brother mentioned of the three categories is all forbidden. As for the first category: which is that he answers with several answers and writes on each answer the name of one of his relatives or friends, this is because it is lying, forgery, and betrayal of the program. It becomes a cause for consuming wealth without right, indeed by falsehood. So it combines three descriptions, each of which establishes the prohibition: lying, betrayal, and consuming wealth by falsehood. Accordingly, this action is forbidden.
As for the second category: which is that he takes answers from people who write them for him and then submits them, this is also forbidden. Because this man transferred the answer from another, so it is another person's answer and not his own. It is not like a man searching for the answer to these questions either in books or from the mouths of the people of knowledge of that. Because the purpose of this program is for the person to reach knowledge, and not everyone is a scholar of a thing by himself. Rather, it is necessary to consult, either through books, which is better and more preferable, or to seek the help of one of the people. This is permissible and there is no harm in it. And what indicates this is that those who present these programs do not prevent anyone from seeking the help of another. If they had wanted that, they would have specified it. So taking the answer written by another and submitting it is forbidden, and seeking the help of one of the people by searching or through books is permissible and there is no blame in it.
As for the third category: which is that he writes the answer and then sells it in the markets, this is also forbidden for the buyer. Because the buyer submitted an answer for another, so it is lying and forgery against these programs. Then, there is something of excessive uncertainty in it, because you may buy this paper containing the answer and then not win, so there is something of excessive uncertainty and gambling in it, and this is forbidden.
The questioner : And the one who eats the price?
The Shaykh : And the one who eats the price also sins, because he assisted in a forbidden matter. And Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:2].
The Shaykh : Before answering these three questions or explaining the rulings of these three categories, I say: It is praiseworthy for the program to make these prizes for the excelling students, because of the assistance it provides in knowledge and understanding, especially if it relates to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Islamic legal rulings. However, I fear for those who enter these competitions that their purpose may be the material itself or the material prize, and thereby they lose their reward if it concerns Islamic legal matters. In fact, they sin by doing so, for their seeking of Islamic legal knowledge for this purpose is not a correct seeking. It was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
That whoever seeks knowledge, and it is of that which is sought for the Face of Allah, and he does not seek it except to obtain thereby a worldly display, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.
أن من طلب علما وهو مما يبتغى به وجه الله لا يريده إلا لينال به عرضا من الدنيا لم يرح رائحة الجنةAnd after this, what the brother mentioned of the three categories is all forbidden. As for the first category: which is that he answers with several answers and writes on each answer the name of one of his relatives or friends, this is because it is lying, forgery, and betrayal of the program. It becomes a cause for consuming wealth without right, indeed by falsehood. So it combines three descriptions, each of which establishes the prohibition: lying, betrayal, and consuming wealth by falsehood. Accordingly, this action is forbidden.
As for the second category: which is that he takes answers from people who write them for him and then submits them, this is also forbidden. Because this man transferred the answer from another, so it is another person's answer and not his own. It is not like a man searching for the answer to these questions either in books or from the mouths of the people of knowledge of that. Because the purpose of this program is for the person to reach knowledge, and not everyone is a scholar of a thing by himself. Rather, it is necessary to consult, either through books, which is better and more preferable, or to seek the help of one of the people. This is permissible and there is no harm in it. And what indicates this is that those who present these programs do not prevent anyone from seeking the help of another. If they had wanted that, they would have specified it. So taking the answer written by another and submitting it is forbidden, and seeking the help of one of the people by searching or through books is permissible and there is no blame in it.
As for the third category: which is that he writes the answer and then sells it in the markets, this is also forbidden for the buyer. Because the buyer submitted an answer for another, so it is lying and forgery against these programs. Then, there is something of excessive uncertainty in it, because you may buy this paper containing the answer and then not win, so there is something of excessive uncertainty and gambling in it, and this is forbidden.
The questioner : And the one who eats the price?
The Shaykh : And the one who eats the price also sins, because he assisted in a forbidden matter. And Allah the Exalted said: